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Words of hope close season FREDERICK -- At the root of violence is our ignorance of others' stories. Such was the message of empathy and compassion delivered by Imam Yahya Hendi at Sunday's ceremony closing a 64-day peace program. "When a bomb goes off in Iraq, it should be as if it went off in Frederick, Maryland," he told the audience of roughly 30 people. "When an (Afghan) is going to have his head cut off because he is Christian, that should bring pain to every Muslim, not just Christians. It should be the Muslims marching before the Christians." Imam Hendi spoke to the audience about things that divide cultures, such as greed and the failure to listen. "We need to fix the heart --something is blocking the heart and doesn't allow us to connect to one another," he said. He offered ways to combat violence and urged participants to spread peace through condemning extremism, becoming voices of peace, sponsoring theme-oriented conferences, and organizing events that bring people of the same fields together, such as the clergy, educators and journalists. Imam Hendi was invited to speak by the Rev. Toni Fish of Unity Church in Frederick, which co-sponsored the county's first-ever Season for Nonviolence with Frederick Interfaith. A Season for Nonviolence, created in 1998, is a national grassroots movement dedicated to spreading the peace messages of Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Each year's event begins Jan. 30. "I think what will come out is that there are resources in the community that we can tap into in order to do something," said the Rev. Fish. "I have to believe (Imam Hendi) is a part of the energy, of the seed we've planted. I think his energy in this group will cause this to grow." The 64-day program was filled with lectures and movies about conflict and peace, the Rev. Fish said. Guest speakers, including those who had lived in war-torn parts of the world, shared their experiences throughout the program. The Frederick County Commissioners, Mayor Jeff Holtzinger and the Board of Aldermen recently declared an annual Season for Nonviolence in Frederick County, the Rev. Fish said. "We are beginning something new here. We're pushing the wave up and over," said Michelle Bier, a Unity church member. Ms. Bier said the greatest message she received from the program is that spreading peace can be done in small ways. "It begins at home, with the parent-to-child relationship, the spousal relationship, and it grows from there," said Ms. Bier, who lives with her family in Frederick. Imam Hendi asked Ms. Bier and others in attendance to take their lessons from the program to their streets, communities, schools and places of worship to help end poverty and violence in the world. "I believe in each of us there is a sleeping giant," he said. "Let that giant wake up." |
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